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1929-30: THE MINISTRY AND MURATA
MURATA Yasuji and Yokohama Cinema Shokai’s edutainment film series, the “Athena Library Series”, was clearly a success by 1929. Which is why this is only half his films.
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1927-1928: YAMAMOTO AND KIMURA
YAMAMOTO Sanae produces the earliest surviving animated tale of a key Japanese folk hero, and KIMURA Hakusan turns his hand to propaganda.
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1927-28: HISTORY NOTES AND OFUJI
OFUJI Noburo’s career was continuing to build momentum and garner respect, although unfortunately only one of his films from these two years survive.
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1927-28: THE MOUSE AND MURATA
MURATA Yasuji was promoted to producer, and asked to helm the “Athena Library Series”, an assortment of animated fairytales, fables and folklore cartoons.
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1924-1926: KŌUCHI & OFUJI
Only one of the three pillars of the original 1917 Japanese animation boom was still in the industry by 1924. But his apprentice would change Japanese animation permanently.
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1924-1926: YAMAMOTO SANAE
As a young adult, Yamamoto’s family wanted him to return to their kimono-selling business. Instead, he kept running away to art school.
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1924-26: KIMURA HAKUSAN
Following the wrecking of the entire Japanese animation industry in the Great Kanto Earthquake, how did Japanese animation come back, and who was responsible?
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AMERICAN ANIMATION AND A REGENCY (1919-1926)
It is impossible to discuss animation in the inter-war period without mentioning American cartoons. And let’s be honest; that means the Mouse.
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JAPAN’S IMPERIAL WARS (1894-1907)
Everything in this piece is essential to understanding the animation produced in Japan before World War II.
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THE ANIMATION BUBBLE (“1907”-1923)
There were three dominant Japanese film studios at the start of 1917. There were exactly zero frames of animation. Who would be the first creators, and what would be the First Anime, to emerge?